Would You Still Love Me the Same?
by Sally White
Summary: In every walk of life, we need someone to share our triumphs and tragedies with. This is a collection showing how two individuals, Armin Arlert and Annie Leonhardt, find solace in each other, no matter the circumstances. A one-shot collection for AruAni week and other stories.
1. We'll Be Counting Stars

**Pairing: AruAni**

 **Setting: Modern Day AU**

 **Rating: T, for some language and sexual implications**

 **Summary: He was obsessed…obsessed with a smile he had never even seen.**

 **Notes: So I've had this prompt written for a long time, like at least a month ago. I literally just came up with it one day when I was taking my sister's dog outside. So have a modern day AU where Armin is a photographer and Annie is a model.**

 **We'll Be Counting Stars**

"Hey, man, thanks again for doing this," Eren said as he lead Armin into the building. They passed by some workers holding a ladder, and Armin had to duck down to avoid getting hit in the head once, but Eren seemed completely unphased by it. But, the blond supposed, this must be how it was when one worked for a company like this.

"It was no problem, really," Armin assured his best friend, holding onto his camera bag a little tighter when some shadier-looking people walked by them. "Plus when you gave me the salary I couldn't resist. I need the money."

The brunet laughed as he led Armin into the studio where everyone was getting set up for the photo shoot. A dark-haired woman with stern gray eyes came up to them, gripping a clipboard with a firm frown on her lips. Eren grinned and wrapped his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Mikasa, babe, good to see you."

A light blush graced her features as she shrugged his arm off of her. "You're late."

"I know, I know, but hey, I found a replacement photographer." Eren grabbed his friend's arm, causing him to almost fall over. "Armin here agreed to take the pictures for us today."

Mikasa sighed and rubbed her temples before looking at Armin. "Thank you, Armin, I appreciate it. I'm sorry this idiot got you involved in this mess." She glared at Eren before turning to walk towards what looked like a small set. "Alright, people, ten minutes!"

Armin gulped and gripped his camera bag tighter, feeling his anxiety starting to build up in his chest. This would be his first try at a professional photo shoot, though he had been taking pictures since he could remember. Still, it was different to work with people who had actually done this sort of thing before.

Eren patted the blond on the back, giving him a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't worrry, you'll be fine. Just point the camera and click the button. It's that simple." Then he hurried after Mikasa, calling for her with a huge smile on his face.

Armin watched his friend go before hurrying over to set up, taking his bag off of his shoulder and reaching in to grab his camera. He took the lens off and turned it on, then checked to make sure it had enough battery to last the shoot. Eren had told him that these things generally didn't run for longer than an hour, especially with a small company like theirs. Still, one could never be too prepared.

He was pulling out his tripod when he felt someone bump into him. He had a moment of panic as he fumbled with his camera, but a pair of tiny hands grabbed it before it fell to the floor. He sighed in relief, reaching up to wipe some sweat off of his forehead. "Thank you so much!" He looked up and was stopped dead in his tracks.

Armin had seen his fair share of beautiful women in the photography industry, even in just the amateur business. But her...she took the cake. Pale skin, light blonde hair, and the most piercing ice-colored eyes that he had ever seen. He suddenly forgot what he had been about to say, forgot how to speak, forgot how to breathe. All he could do was stare into those eyes and wonder how so much beauty could be confined to one being.

She stood up straight and handed the camera to him, her bored expression never changing. "It would have been troublesome if you'd dropped it. They would have had to find another one, and then this thing would really never end." Then she turned and walked away, and Armin did his best to convince himself that he wasn't staring at her ass, that he was only appreciating her outfit from the back. Right...

"Hey, Armin!"

The blond stood up straight then, trying and failing to get the blush off of his face. "Y-yeah?!"

Eren waved him over. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Armin grabbed up his tripod and hurried over to his friend. He set up the camera on the tripod then gave a thumbs up.

"Alright, let's get this thing going!" Eren clapped his hands. "Annie, we're ready when you are!"

"There's no need to yell, Jaeger." The woman from before stepped out onto the set and Armin felt his heart drop to his stomach. She was the model? How was he ever going to be able to concentrate on this? He gulped and made sure the camera was ready to go.

Annie got into the first pose, her back to them, looking over her shoulder with her bottom lip between her lip. Armin felt sure that he was going to faint, but he managed to take the shots they needed. She turned around to face them, her hands going up into her hair as she seemed to look him dead in the eye. He gulped and took the shots, feeling his hands starting to tremble.

 _This better be worth the money..._

A few other poses were done then Annie went to go change into another outfit. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in as he checked the camera over, trying to ignore the fact that his hands were shaking. He heard Mikasa and Eren talking next to him, but he had no idea what they were saying. He was too busy trying his get his heart under control.

Annie came out in her next outfit and the process repeated, and the same with the next outfit. She was of course gorgeous in every one and Armin was more than happy to be the one photographing her, but...there was something that he noticed.

She never smiled.

He took lots of pictures of her, and she looked beautiful in every single one of them, but there wasn't a single photograph of her smiling. Her expression was either lustful, inviting, or bored. And neither Eren nor Mikasa ever asked her to smile.

He wondered why...

It was all over before he knew it, and soon everyone was packing up. Armin blinked then hurried to go grab his bag to put his camera and tripod away. He caught Annie leaving the changing rooms and leaving the set out of the corner of his eye, and he looked up just as she stepped out of the studio, letting the door close behind her.

The sight of her leaving hurt him a bit for some reason and he didn't dare put too much thought into it at that moment.

An arm wrapped around his neck and Eren was grinning at him, green eyes bright. "You did great, man. I really appreciate you coming in at the last minute."

"This was a really good opportunity for me, so I appreciate you giving me this chance." Armin smiled at his friend, picking up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Eren gave the blond male a squeeze before letting go. Mikasa came up and the brunet reached over to take her hand in his, chatting about the shoot and how great it had gone. Armin hated to interrupt his friend when he sounded so happy, but-

"Why didn't you have her smile?"

The other male blinked and looked over at his friend. "You mean Annie?" Armin nodded and Eren just shook his head. "You're new to this industry, Armin. People don't look for sweet, smiling girls. They want sexy women, ones they can look at and instantly know that they want or want to be like. Besides, Annie really isn't the smiling type."

 _I don't agree,_ Armin wanted to argue, but he kept his mouth shut. He followed Eren and Mikasa out to their car, all the while trying to come up with an image of the beautiful blonde woman smiling. But...he couldn't quite see it. And he realized he wanted to see it in person.

He was obsesssed...obsessed with a smile he had never even seen. 

* * *

A week had passed since the photo shoot and Armin couldn't get Annie off of his mind. When he fell asleep, he dreamed of her and her elusive smile. When he closed his eyes he saw her piercing gaze. It felt like she was haunting him...

So when Eren called him asking him if he would do another job and said that Annie was going to be the model again, he jumped at the chance. He packed up his camera and got the first taxi he could flag down.

He arrived at the set before Eren got there, much to Mikasa's annoyance. But Armin wasn't able to pay the Asian woman much attention when he saw Annie step out from her dressing room. She was in a long evening gown this time, with a fur wrap around her. God, she was so gorgeous...he wanted to go over and talk to her, but he had no idea what he would say.

Mikasa noticed his wandering eyes and snapped her fingers in his face to get his attention. "Be careful with her, okay?"

Before he could ask what she meant he heard Eren yelling as he came into the studio, and Armin hurried to set up his camera and tripod. Annie noticed him and nodded his way, and he could have sworn he saw the corners of her mouth trying to twitch up. The simple action brought his heart more joy than was healthy, he was sure.

The shoot started, and Annie was brilliant as always. They had her be more refined that day rather than sexy, and Armin found himself thinking that it suited her much better. She seemed like the kind of woman who would be at home sipping tea with aristocrats as well as getting some beer at a bar. She was versitile, and he found himself admiring her for it.

They had her change half-way through, and they brought out a chair for her to sit in. The blond felt his heart in his throat when she came out in short-shorts with fishnets with a pretty blouse. Good God, as if his dreams weren't bad enough as was! He forced himself to keep a hold of his camera to hide the fact that his hands were shaking so badly.

Suddenly in the middle of that shoot they heard someone clapping, and they all turned their heads to see an older man step into the studio. He just looked an ordinary man, the only prominent feature about him being his bald head.

Eren gasped and nearly fell out of his chair. "Mister Pixis! Sir!"

Armin's stomach dropped. Dot Pixis, as in the rich corporate, as in the one who was funding this whole shoot? Oh God, if he thought his hands shaking was bad he now fought to keep from shaking head to toe.

The man came over, an easy-going smile on his face. "Eren, Mikasa, good to see you as always." He looked over at Armin and quirked and eyebrow. "And who's this?"

"A-Armin Arlert, sir!" The blond stood ram-rod straight, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I-I'm the camera man."

The old man studied the boy for a bit before nodding at him, a smile coming to his lips. "I saw your pictures from the last shoot. You have talent." He patted the boy on the shoulder before heading to the set.

Armin thought he would fall over from happiness. Dot Pixis liked his pictures! Nothing could ruin this day!

"And Miss Annie." Pixis walked over to the woman, still smiling warmly. "You're as lovely as ever, my dear."

"Thank you," Annie nodded to the man, fiddling with the edges of the fishnets.

"But." Pixis held up a finger. "I do have just on critique, if you don't mind me saying." He reached up to cup her face in his hands, his eyes warm. "A pretty face like this should be smiling. At least for just a few pictures." He looked back at Armin, a spark in his eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah-" What could he say? If he didn't agree with him, it could displease the very person who was providing his salary!

But-

If he agreed...would it hurt Annie's feelings?

But he did agree...

Armin nodded slowly, not daring to look at Annie at that moment. He could only imagine what she could be thinking at that point.

"You see, my dear? It's not just me." Pixis patted her cheek before letting his hands drop to his sides. He turned to walk towards the door, waving at all of them. "You're doing a great job, everyone! Keep it up!" Then as suddenly as he had come, he was gone.

Everyone seemed to take a moment before going back to business. Eren cleared his throat and looked at the model. "Well, Annie? Think you could manage a smile for us?"

Armin peeked at the woman through his bangs, seeing her expression change just the littlest bit. He could tell that this was more difficult for her than she would have liked, but also that she didn't want to back down from what she viewed as a challenge.

The model nodded, slowly. "Yeah...I guess so, if it's what the boss wants."

"Alright, then. Back to work, guys!" Eren clapped his hands and sat back down.

Armin turned back to his camera, feeling his heart speeding up in his chest at the prospect of getting to see her smile.

Except...it wasn't real. It was a smile, of course, and she must have been doing this long enough to know how to make it look like it wasn't forced. But...it wasn't a true smile. It didn't reach her eyes.

And Armin found himself thinking that it was a real travesty.

When the shoot was over Armin packed up and said good bye to Eren and Mikasa before heading out. They offered to drive him home, but he had declined. He didn't want to be a burden to them, after all. So he slung his bag on his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets.

He turned a corner and jumped when he saw Annie leaning against the building, just staring up at the night sky. He gulped and gathered all of the courage he had before walking over to her. "H-hey."

She blinked and her gaze slowly slipped from the sky and to him. She didn't say a word, just lifted an eyebrow at him.

"D-do you have a ride home?" What was he doing? Was he trying to make himself seem like a pervert? He'd only met her two times, for goodness sake!

Luckily for him, she didn't seem to mind too much. She just shook her head and looked back up at the sky, leaning back against the building again. "I was just going to walk home. I only live a few blocks from here, so it's not a big deal."

He fiddled with the strap of his camera bag and took a deep breath before speaking again. He could do this. "I-if you'd like-if you don't mind!-I could walk with you?" He made sure to phrase it as a question so that she would have the opportunity to say no if she wanted to. He still couldn't look at her... "It's just that, well, i-it can be pretty dangerous for a young lady, like yourself, to walk around alone at night."

He heard her chuckle and looked up to see her shaking her head. "If it were anyone else, I would tell them to fuck off." She looked at him and he felt the breath leave his lungs at how her eyes were shining. "But for some reason I get the feeling that you genuinely mean well." She pushed herself off the building and nodded her head. "Come on, then. It's pretty chilly out tonight." Then she started walking, and he hurried to catch up to her.

They hadn't gone very far when he realized that he had no idea what to say to her, how to start up a conversation. What could an amateur photographer and an experienced model have in common? His hands turned to fists in his pockets as he racked his brain for something...anything.

"The stars sure are bright tonight," he heard her murmur, and he quickly looked up at her. Her gaze was on the sky again, her expression soft.

He found himself nodding. "Yeah. Around this time of year, the Big Dipper can be pretty hard to find." He glanced up and grinned, reaching up to point. "But look! There it is, all the stars shining and everything."

She eagerly followed his lead and nodded, her eyes shining. "I never could find it when I was a kid. I've never been too good at astronomy."

"My grandfather used to take me out star gazing," Armin found himself telling her, taking just the tiniest step towards her. "He used to tell me a bunch of fun facts about all of the constellations. They were his passion."

"Why don't you tell me one?"

He blinked and looked over at her, his blue eyes wide. "Really?"

She nodded, still looking up at the sky. "It'll help the time go by faster. And give me something to think about other than the cold."

"O-okay." He gulped and reached up to point again. "The Big Dipper is really an asterism – a star pattern that is NOT a constellation. The Big Dipper is a clipped version of the constellation Ursa Major..." And on and on he went, feeling himself getting excited as he told Annie the story of the Bear Constellation. He remembered the first time his grandfather had told him the story, and how eager he had been to hear more.

To his relief and pleasure, Annie seem to eat it all up, her eyes dropping from the sky to look at him as they walked. She nodded and piped in with some questions, which he did his best to answer. He wasn't an expert on stars, but he liked to think that he was pretty knowledgable.

"So what made you want to go into modeling photography?" she asked him after he had finished his story. "With how much you love them, I'd think you'd just want to take pictures of stars all the time."

"Modeling makes more money," Armin told her, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "My grandpa got sick last year and we needed the extra money, so I took whatever job I could get. Eren helped me find most of them, since he's the one with the connections." He looked up at the sky once more. "Stars will always be my first love, but models aren't so bad. Especially when they're as pretty and nice as you."

He heard her sharp intake and realized what he had just said. His face turned bright red and he stumbled, both hands shooting up to wave frantically in front of her. "N-not that I'm trying to flirt with you or anything! I mean, I totally would! But you're a successful model and I definitely don't have the right, and-!" Shit, he was rambling now.

He stopped when he heard her giggle, then suddenly she was laughing, loud and bright, and he found himself thinking that it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. She had to stop walking because of how hard she was laughing, her arms wrapped around her torso as she tried to keep from keeling over. "You are a riot!" She reached up to wipe at the tears of mirth in her eyes, her lips split in the most gorgeous smile he'd ever seen. "I'm telling Jaeger that we need to keep you."

He had no response other than to just stare at her with a stupid grin plastered across his face. He had finally seen her smile, and he could honestly say that it had been well-worth the wait.

They turned a corner and she headed up the stairs of a little brownstone. "This is me. Thanks for walking me home." She stopped just before she could open the door then hurried back down the stairs, stopping when her face was level with his. She leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to his cheek, shocking him into silence once more. She leaned back and smiled warmly at him. "I'll be seeing you around."

He nodded stupidly. "Yeah..."

"Unless you'd like to come in?" She tilted her head. "It's pretty cold out, and it's a little late to be calling a cab. Besides," her eyes twinkled at him, "I would like to hear more about the Ursa Major."

He couldn't stop the smile on his lips even if he wanted to.


	2. Living Like We're Renegades

Pairing: AruAni

Setting: Modern Day

Rating: T, for some language

Summary: Armin Arlert was stupidly kind. And it only made Annie fall him faster.

Notes: I'm so excited to finally have this story out for you guys to read. I randomly came up with this idea one day when I was at work and decided to just go with it. This AU mostly explains itself, but if you have any questions feel free to message me.

Living Like We're Renegades

January, Annie decided, was a very bad month to run away.

It was cold as fuck and the weather was unpredictable, being mild one day then freezing the next. There was still snow that fell and then there was the freezing rain. And she honestly wasn't sure which was worse.

It had been three days since she'd finished the loaf of bread that she'd managed to steal fom her father's house before she'd left, and she'd finished the last of her water yesterday. Her hoodie was too thin for this winter and she'd given her blanket to a kid she'd seen shivering on the street the other day. She hadn't thought to grab an umbrella and she was regretting it now. Damn it, it was just too cold...

She couldn't even feel the freezing rain that was pouring down now, in fact she hadn't been able to feel her fingers for the past hour. She was resting on the side of the road now, her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Cars drove by without stopping and people would quickly walk by her, but it wasn't anything she wasn't used to by now. This wasn't the first time she'd run away, after all.

But this was the fist time she'd decided to run away in the dead of winter and boy did she regret it.

 _Maybe I'll die out here_ , she thought to herself, blinking to try to keep the cold precipitation out of her eyes. _Maybe my hands will fall off from frostbite and I'll die of shock. Wouldn't that be something, papa? Would you even give a shit?_

She closed her eyes, ready to just give up for the day and try to sleep. She was so tired...

Then suddenly she couldn't feel the rain anymore, and she blinked. She slowly lifted her head, staring up.

A pair of gentle blue eyes looked back at her, a soft smile directed at her. An umbrella was being held above her, which was why she could no longer feel the rain. A hand was held out to her, attached to a sweet-looking boy.

"Hey." He tilted his head towards her, still smiling even when she didn't respond. Not that she could, her jaw was clenched so tight that it hurt. But he kept his hand out for her. "It's pretty cold out. Are you lost? Do you need a ride home?" She'd been offered rides before but she never took them up on their offer, because they had all been perverts. But this boy...something inside of her told her that he wouldn't hurt her. That he could be trusted.

It was odd...she'd never felt like this before.

"Miss? Can you speak?" He slowly knelt down beside her, being sure to keep the umbrella held over her even though he was getting wet. "Do you need help?"

She wanted to answer him, but she was freezing and she couldn't feel her legs or her hands and she was so tired. She tried to open her mouth to reply to him, but her teeth were chattering too hard and her chest was hurting so bad...before she knew it she was starting to fall over.

"Whoa!" He dropped the umbrella and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her from hitting the concrete. "Easy, there. I've got you." He kept one arm around her shoulders as the other looped under her knees. He grabbed his umbrella before standing up, holding her close to his chest. "You're freezing...let's get you out of this weather, okay?"

All she could do was nod and lean her head against his chest as her eyes fluttered shut. He was so warm and his arms around her were so gentle and she was just so, so tired...it didn't take even two seconds before she was passed out.

* * *

The next thing she knew she was being carried into a house which was much, much warmer than it was outside. The heat hit her but despite it she was still shivering.

"Eren! I need some help here!" The boy from earlier was still carrying her, his arms a little tighter than before. She glanced up and caught him looking down at her, his blue eyes full of concern. "Don't worry, we'll help you."

"Dude, finally! Did you pick up anything to eat, I'm starving-" Another boy with brown hair came down a hall, but he stopped when he saw her. A deep frown darkened his face. "Again? Seriously, Armin?"

"I...found her?" She felt the blond boy shrug, but she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. It was so warm now, and she just felt so sleepy...

"You're going to get arrested again-"

"I'm not going to get arrested!"

"Armin, Hannes warned you that if you did this again-"

"I couldn't just leave her shivering on the street, Eren! Now will you please help me out, I think she has hypothermia."

Rough, warm hands cupped her face, pressing against her pulse and her forehead. She opened her eyes and glared at the boy, Eren, as he checked over her. "She's pretty cold...and her face and hands are really red." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before gesturing at the boy who was carrying her-Armin, he'd been called. "Come on. We need to get her clothes off."

 _Uh, no!_ Annie growled deep in her throat and tried to struggle away from Armin, determined to keep that from happening. But she was too weak to do much and her hands felt like they were frozen.

"Whoa, easy." Armin shifted her in his arms to keep from dropping her. "We don't mean any harm. Eren is a doctor, he knows what to do when people have hypothermia. Don't worry, we're not going to do anything inappropriate." He gave her a gentle smile. "I promise."

For some reason his voice soothed her, and for some reason she couldn't explain she believed him. She stopped struggling and went limp in his arms, honestly too tired to try to escape.

Armin brought her into a room and set her down on a bed. Eren handed the other boy a blanket. "Wrap this around her as soon as you get her clothes off. Try to warm her torso first, it could send her into shock if you try to warm her hands first. I'll go get a hot water bottle ready." Then he left the room.

Annie heard the blond boy take in a breath before he started to take her hoodie off. "I'm just going to take your outer layers off, okay?" He placed the hoodie on a chair then did the same with her shirt. She shivered and pressed her arms against her upper half, watching as he carefully removed her pants, leaving her in just her bra and underwear. He immediately wrapped her in the big fluffy blanket, sitting down next to her as he pulled her to him.

"My name is Armin, by the way." She felt his hands rubbing her sides and back through the blanket. "I probably should have introduced myself earlier. Sorry about that."

After about ten minutes of this feeling started to come back to Annie's body. It felt like there were pins and needles in her hands and feet, but she could feel her face again. She carefully flexed her fingers, just feeling glad that they were still there. She leaned back into the boy, closing her eyes as she was finally able to relax for the first time in three days. She felt like she should thank him for saving her from hypothermia, or worse frost bite.

She felt like she should say something...

"Annie."

"Huh?" His hands on her back stilled, and she felt him lean forward. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Annie." She turned her head to look at him. "My name. It's Annie."

The smile that came onto his lips nearly left her breathless, and the way his hands were so gentle on her person brought a warmth into her heart that she hadn't felt in years. "It's nice to meet you, Annie."

There was a knock on the door and a throat was cleared. Annie glanced towards the door to find Eren standing there, a hot water bottle and a towel in his hands. "Sorry to interrupt, but we still have to make sure she warms up." He walked towards them, wrapping the towel around the bottle and handing it to Armin.

He took it and handed it to Annie, who held it to her chest and closed her eyes, relishing in how nice it felt. She leaned back into Armin's chest once more, feeling her limps start to feel heavy. She was so sleepy...and when she felt gently fingers run through her short hair she was sure she would fall asleep.

But the talking was keeping her from doing that.

"She can't stay here, Armin."

"We can't just send her back outside, Eren, look at her!"

"You can't keep doing this-"

"I didn't kidnap her, and I didn't kidnap the last one either-"

"That's not going to stop people from pressing charges! Damn it, man, we barely kept you from going to jail last time! If you get arrested again-"

"I'm not going to get arrested! Geez, I'm not doing anything wrong by wanting to help people who need it! She's homeless, and she was freezing, and I couldn't just walk away from her!"

"Why not? Plenty of people do it every day!"

"I'm not like them." The fingers in her hair stilled, and arms were wrapped protectively around her. "We both know that there are terrible people out there who ignore those in need, and I refuse to be one of those people." She felt herself being laid down, and the blanket was tucked in firmly around her. "I'll put in some calls to the local shelters tomorrow, see if there's any room for her. But if they say no, I'm not letting her go back on the street." Gentle fingers brushed the hair away from her face, and it made her feel so safe.

She heard Eren sigh and the shuffling of feet. "Alright. But if you get arrested again Mikasa is going to kill both of us."

Annie swore she heard Armin laugh just as she finally drifted off.

* * *

Armin Arlert was stupidly kind, Annie learned.

Of course none of the local homeless shelters had any room for her, and true to his word Armin had refused to let her go back on the street no matter how many times she insisted she could take care of herself. The room she had been sleeping in was his, and he refused to take it back no matter how many times she tried to tell him that she wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch.

Once she was feeling better he invited her to run some errands with him, and she had agreed quite quickly. She was feeling antsy from just sitting around all day. Their first stop had been to a bank where he took out nearly fifty dollars, all in ones. When she had questioned him about it, he just smiled at her.

Running errands with Armin turned into doing many little acts of charity. He gave out money to every homeless person he passed, he helped little old ladies and children across the street, and he carried things for people who were struggling with heavy loads. Annie helped out when she was able, but for the most part he insisted that he could handle it.

As she watched him help all of these people, Annie suddenly understood why he had stopped and helped her that day. Armin seemed almost unable to keep himself from helping someone in need, and it was a quality that made her heart swell. He was a good person, a genuinely all-around good person.

And she quickly found herself falling for him.

"How did you end up homeless?" Armin asked her one evening as they sat on his couch. Eren had gone over to Mikasa's and they were left home alone for the night, and he had decided to take advantage of it with a game of cards.

Annie bit her lip, trying to decide the best way to tell him. She couldn't lie, that just wouldn't be fair to him. "I actually ran away."

"Really?" He tilted his his, his eyes wide with interest. "How come?"

She shrugged, shuffling the cards in her hands. "I wanted to get away from my father. Prove to him that I could live without his money." She snorted. "I did a great job, huh? Ended up on the streets, starving and freezing."

"But you didn't go home," he pointed out, laying down a card. "So you kind of succeeded."

"I would have died on that street corner if you hadn't shown up." She laid her cards down and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. "I expected to die."

She heard his sharp intake of breath, and she opened her eyes when she felt his hand on her face. His blue eyes were intense, almost angry. "Don't talk like that."

"But it's true," she breathed, unable to look away from him. He had the most gorgeous eyes... "If you hadn't shown up who knows what would have happened."

His gaze softened, and a warm smile split his lips. "I'm glad I was there, then." He started to lean forward, and Annie was sure that he was going to kiss her.

And she was going to let him.

But they were interrupted by a knock on the door, and she had to bite back the moan of disappoint swelling in her throat when he pulled away. Armin stood up and went over to the door, opening it. She could hear the surprise in his voice as he greeted the person at the door.

"Officer Hannes, this is a surprise. How can I help you?"

"I'm sorry Armin, I need you to step outside."

Annie stood up, going over to the door. She saw Armin's eyebrows raise in show, saw his lips part as a huff left his mouth. "Why? I didn't do anything."

The police officer at the door was shuffling around uncomfortably. "Don't make this any harder than it already is, Armin. I have to put you under arrest."

"For what?!" He was angry now, and Annie could feel her own temper rising.

"The kidnapping of Annie Leonhardt."

"Annie Leonhardt...you mean the daughter of Dietrich Leonhardt? The famous politician?" Armin's head turned to stare at her, and she had never hated herself as much as she did in that moment.

"He didn't kidnap me." Annie stepped forward, gently pushing Armin away from the door. "I came here on my own terms. I'll go with you and talk to him myself, but I'm not letting you arrest Armin, officer." She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed the man with an ice-cold glare that quickly convinced him.

"R-right, of course, Miss Leonhardt! I'll wait in the car for you." Hannes practically jumped down the stairs and ran back to his car.

"You're that Annie?" She turned around to face the boy she had been living with. It hurt her to see the shocked and pained look in his eyes. "The girl that's been all over the news, the one they've been looking for...that's you?"

She nodded and turned her head, unable to look him in the eye.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Why, indeed. The knowledge wouldn't have changed how he viewed her, she knew that. He was too kind for that sort of thing. Still..."I didn't want you to think less of me."

"I wouldn't have! Annie, I'm-"

"Don't." She held out a hand to stop him. "It doesn't matter anymore." She let her hand fall back to her side, finally chancing a look in his direction. She instantly regretted it, seeing the look on his face. She had done this. And she had to make it right. "Thank you for saving me. Now let me save you." Then she turned and walked out to the car.

* * *

Her father didn't let her out of the house for a month, shutting off her phone and monitering what she did on the internet. He was all smiles and affection when the cameras were on them, but as soon as they were alone he scolded and lectured her about how irresponsible she had been and how it looked for a policitian's daughter to run away. She didn't a fuck what he thought or what anyone else thought, though, and she ignored him when he spoke.

Things went back to normal after that month, though, and the first thing she did was try to find Armin. She cursed herself for not getting his number or even his address. She tried looking in all of the places she knew he went, but she always seemed to just miss him. She even went to the hospital to talk to Eren, but the brunet had just yelled at her, accusing her of almost ruining Armin's life. And really, he was right. She had almost gotten him arrested, and in her mind that made her as terrible as the people Armin had spoken of the first night at his house.

After awhile she just gave up and went back to her every day life before Armin. Except...now everything she did felt pointless, empty...selfish.

So she threw herself into charity work.

Annie donated as much money and food and clothing to every organization that needed. She hosted events that needed a spokes person, and she even adopted a cat from a local rescue group. She gave out money to the homeless people she passed on the street, and she helped school children get across the street. She did everything she could to make herself feel as close to Armin as possible.

But it wasn't enough. And she knew that it never would be.

One night Annie gave her driver the night off and just walked the streets, noting how many people were rushing around, ignoring those in need around them. She remembered how disgusted Armin had been by those kind of people, and she felt her own revulsion rising up in her.

 _The world is a shitty place._ She glanced up at the moon and felt a small smile split her lips. _But with people like you in it, Armin, maybe it stands a chance._

She lowered her gaze and noticed a little boy standing with his family on the side of the road. They were all dressed very poorly, with holes and tears in their clothes, and the mother was trying to soothe a whining baby. The boy had his arms crossed over his chest, shivering hard.

Annie knelt down in front of the child, taking her coat off and wrapping it around him. "Here you go. This should keep you warm."

He blinked up at her and didn't say a word, only gripped the coat and drew it tightly around himself.

"How can we ever thank you?" the mother asked her, eyes teary from the kindness shown to her son.

"Get your family to the nearest soup kitchen and have a good meal." Annie nodded at the woman and continued on down the street, stuffing her hands in her hoodie.

"That was rather kind of you, Miss Annie."

She stopped, feeling her heart skip a beat. _It can't be..._ She slowly turned around, and nearly cried when she saw him.

Armin stood just a few feet away from her, hands stuffed in his coat and his usual smile on his lips. "I saw what you did back there. And I've been hearing about what you've been doing around the city. Miss Annie Leonhardt is making a name for herself."

"I looked for you," she blinked, trying her best to not burst into tears right then and there. That would have been so embarrassing. "I even tried to talk to Eren, though he wasn't very happy to see me."

"He's always been protective," the blond shrugged, taking a step towards her. "I went on a mission trip to Trost to help out with the homeless shelter there. That's why I haven't been around. I'm sorry if I had you worried, I could kick myself for not giving you my number."

"So you weren't avoiding me?" She couldn't stop the tear that were making their way down her cheeks, and she didn't bother trying to wipe them away. It would have been a moot effort.

"No, God, no." He reached up to cup her face, and she willingly leaned into his touch. His blue eyes were warm as he gazed down at her. "I told you I didn't think less of you. I was never mad at you, Annie. I just wished you would have told me."

"I'm sorry," she hiccuped, her own hands reaching up to grip the front of his coat.

"It's okay, I promise." His thumbs wiped at the tears on her cheek as he leaned down to press his lips to her forehead. Then his lips were on her nose, and her cheeks, and she couldn't help the soft moan that left her. "I'm so proud of you, Annie. But you never needed to prove yourself." He kissed her jaw. "I've always known how kind you are."

She couldn't take it any long, and she leaned up on her tip-toes to press her mouth to his. And just like everything he did, his kiss was filled with kindness.


	3. You'll Never Walk Alone

**Pairing: AruAni**

 **Setting: Canon verse**

 **Rating: I'm gonna say T, for some language and character death**

 **Summary: "She had stars in her eyes and the wind in her hair…"**

 **Notes: This. Fic. KILLED ME. It's seriously so sad and still hurts my heart. But I love how it turned out. Also, for this prompt, I thought of the musical Carousel. In this fic, Annie came out of her crystal and aided humanity in their fight against the titans and her and Armin god married but she died in childbirth. So yeah…**

 **You'll Never Walk Alone**

"Papa?"

"Papa."

"Papa!"

Armin chuckled softly and looked over his shoulder at the little girl standing behind him. "Now, Anna, what do we say?"

"Oh! Sorry." The girl grinned sheepishly, though it would never reach those eyes of hers. "Vati!"

"There you go." He turned around and knelt down in front of her, hands resting on his knees. "What do you have there, liebling?"

"Lookie!" Anna pulled out the object she'd been hiding behind her, holding it out to him. "I found it. Isn't it pretty?"

Armin took it from her and studied the thing. It was a seashell, half of one actually. It really wasn't anything too special, but the look in her eyes made it seem like she had just found the rarest artifact in the world. And he could never disappoint her.

"It's beautiful, Anna!" He grinned wide, making sure to hold it up so the sun was shining on it. "Why, it must be over one hundred years old!"

Her eyes went wide as she stared up at the object. "Really? You think so?"

"I do." He handed it back to her, his smile still warm on his lips. "You keep this up and you'll become famous one day."

"You really think so?" The smile that broke out on her face warmed his heart more than any summer day every could. "Yay!" She threw her arms around his neck, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her and stood up spinning her around.

Armin set Anna back down and reached out his hand to her, looking up at the sky. "Come on, now, we need to head home. The sun is going to set soon."

He felt her tiny fingers wrap around his and he knew that there would never be a better feeling in the entire world. He gave her hand a careful squeeze, not wanting to hurt her. He never would, he would have rather swallowed his tongue than to ever do anything to hurt his little girl.

They started off towards their house, the sun slowly setting over the hill. It had been a lovely day for them, spending their time down by the river as Armin watched Anna run around and collect rocks and shells that she would set down and forget about once she found the next one. He knew that plenty of fathers would get bored with that game after a few hours, but not him. He could watch her do silly things all day and never get tired of it.

He heard her yawn and reached down to pick her up, setting her on his shoulders. She immediately wrapped her little arms around his head, setting her soft cheek on top of his hair. She was small, even for a four-year-old, but he knew that she would get stronger as time went by. She already had the makings of a fighter...just like her mother.

"Vati?"

"Ja, liebling?" His hands were holding onto her little legs, making sure that she wouldn't fall in her sleepiness.

"What was mama-" She yawned and her tiny body pressed against the back of his neck. "Ah, muti...what was muti like?"

A pang went through his heart, and he had to take a moment to focus on his breathing. He couldn't break down, not in front of Anna. Not in front of his child.

He knew that the day would come when she would starting asking about her mother. He knew that she wouldn't accept his excuses of why she wasn't there forever. Anna was a bright child, always curious and asking questions. So of course she was going to ask about her.

"Your muti was..." He stared up at the sky, noting the colors that appeared as the sun was setting. "She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She had stars in her eyes and the wind in her hair. She was-" _Everything, she was was everything-_

Anna yawned again and he felt her starting to sink lower on his shoulder. He gripped her legs a little tighter, not wanting her to fall. "I hope I look like her when I grow up."

 _You already do._ Anna was the spitting image of her mother, from her pale blonde hair to her ice-colored eyes that always made him catch his breath when the light hit them just so. She even had her nose, something he knew her mother would have thrown a little fit about.

Annie had always hated her nose...

He was broken out of his reverie when he heard Anna's little snores. He chuckled softly as he continued to walk towards their house. It wasn't far and he never minded carrying his daughter around.

 _Annie, our little girl has grown so much...I wish you were here to see her...  
_

* * *

 _"Armin...she's crying again."_

 _"Just look at her, for God's sake! She's your daughter!"_

 _"Armin!"_

They don't understand, _he thought, turning on his side as he tried his best to ignore the wails that rang through the house._ How could they? They still have each other. Annie is...Annie is...

 _The birth had been so hard on his little wife, and in the end she hadn't made it. They'd had to cut her open to get the baby out, and Annie had accepted her fate. "Take care of the baby," she'd pleaded with him in her final moments. "Tell them about me."_

 _A little girl was born on the day that Annie had left the world and Armin hadn't been the same since. Only a week had passed but it felt like a lifetime to him. He had stayed in his bed that whole week, unable to sleep or eat, only getting up to use the bathroom. His whole world was collapsing in on him and there was nothing he could do._

 _Eren and Mikasa had been staying with him to take of the baby. They came to his room multiple times a day, pleading and demanding that he get up and do something, that he just look at his child. But he always ignored them. How could he look at the thing that had taken away his most precious? How could they expect him to love the thing that had killed Annie?_

 _Armin closed his eyes and buried his face into his pillow, tryin to drown out the sound of the baby's wails. He could feel his own sorrow building in his chest and he felt as though he could cry. But he knew that even if he tried no tears would come out. He'd cried so much he wasn't sure he would ever be able to cry again._

"Armin...Armin~"

 _His head shot up, his eyes wide as he looked around the room? "A-Annie?"_

"The baby is crying, Armin. Go to her."

 _"Annie..."_

"Go to our child, Armin."

 _The blond stumbled out of bed and staggered out into the hallway. It was pitch black, which meant it had to be the middle of the night. He clutched at the wall as he made his way towards the crying. He pushed the door open, almost falling into the room, and felt his way through the darkness to the crib._

 _The moon was shining through the window right down on the child's bunched up face. She was crying so hard he was surprised Eren or Mikasa hadn't come to get her. He reached down shaking hands to wrap around her, pulling her up and pressing her against his shoulder._

 _"Hush now, you're fine," he muttered to her, one hand on the back of her head as he other supported her bottom. Of course his words did nothing to soothe her and the child kept wailing. "Hush now." Still nothing, and he was clueless. He'd never had to handle babies before and he had no idea what to do._

 _"What would Annie do..."_

 _He rocked the baby back and forth gently, bouncing her a little to see if that would help. The volume of her cries started to decrease though she was still wailing. He wracked his brain, trying to think of what his little wife would have done to help soothe the baby._

 _"Bitte, liebling...quiet down, now. Vati has you, it's alright. Sei ruhig."_

 _Amazing, the child started to calm down the moment he uttered those few German words to her. He remembered how Annie had always murmured in German to the baby when she had still been in her womb. Had the child actually retained some of it?_

 _"Vati is here...vati has you..."_

 _Her wails started to die down, though small whimpers still passed through the child's tiny lips. Armin backed up until he found the rocking chair that was placed in the room. He remembered how excited he had been to show it to Annie._

Annie...

 _He sank down into the chair and started to rock back and forth, cooing and whispering to the baby in broken German. He had never spoken the language much it but it had always been Annie's favorite thing to hear it spill from his mouth. She had even given him lessons so that they could communicate to each other with basic phrases in the language. But he was glad she had done that because it seemed to be calming the child._

 _"Vati has you, liebling..."_

 _He looked at his daughter for the first time, and it struck him hard just how much she looked like Annie. Her hair was a pale blonde, her skin light and soft. The little lips, strong cheekbones, god she even had her nose. And those eyes...when the baby stared up at him all he saw was Annie. The child was Annie, through and through, and he felt tears start to roll down his cheeks. Funny...he hadn't thought he could cry anymore..._

 _A lullaby left his lips before he could even think about it, as if it was just second nature to him._

 _"Gut Nacht, gut Nacht, mein feines Lieb,_  
 _Gut Nacht, schlaf wohl, mein Kind_  
 _Daß dich die Engel hüten all',_  
 _Die in dem schönen Himmel sind_  
 _Gut Nacht, gut Nacht, mein feines Lieb_  
 _Schlaf du von Nachten lind..."_

 _"Armin..."_

 _The blond looked up to see his two best friends staring at him from the doorway, their eyes wide and their mouths ajar. He wasn't sure why but their expressions made him press the now-sleeping baby to his chest protecitvely._

 _Mikasa was the first to snap out of it and she walked over to him slowly, as if scared she was going to break this trance. "You got her to stop crying...how did you do that?"_

 _Armin shrugged, looking back down at the baby cradled against him. "I just spoke German to her and she calmed down."_

 _He felt her hand on his shoulder and looked back up at her. A warm smile was on her lips, and the relief in her eyes made his chest ache. "You'll have to teach some to us so we can help calm her down next time."_

 _Next time? He shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing. "No...you guys can go home now. I can handle her." He looked down at his baby and felt so much love and tenderness in his heart that he ached. "I'm sorry I've been no help...but it's not going to be like that anymore."_

 _"Does she have a name?" he heard Eren ask._

 _Armin nodded, his eyes never leaving his daughter. "Anna...her name is Anna."  
_

* * *

"Anna!"

Armin called out for his daughter, feeling panic well up inside his chest. His blue eyes scanned the crowded market, trying to see her pale blonde head. But he couldn't find her. He had no idea where she was and that was not a good thing. She was eight now and had a bad habit of wandering away from him which always made him anxious. He cursed himself for not keeping a better eye on her.

"Anna!"

He tried to be as polite as he could as he pushed through the crowd, calling out her name over and over. She had to be here somewhere, she just had to be! He couldn't have lost her, oh god, how could he ever live-

"Take it back!"

"Anna?" He heard her, that was her voice. And she sounded...so angry. He spotted a group of kids crowded around something and he hurried over, a lump of dread in his stomach.

It turned out he had every right to feel that way.

Anna had a boy pinned to the ground, her arms locking his behind his back and her knee pressing his face down to the ground. Her ice-colored eyes were full of fury, and he could see her hands shaking from where he stood.

"Get off of me, you bitch!" the boy howled from under her grip.

"Take it back!" she spat at him, her mouth pulled down on the deepest scowl he had ever seen on a child's face. "Sie dumm fuhrt! Take it back!"

"Anna!" Armin pushed through the kids and grabbed his daughter, lifting her up and off o the the boy. "What are you doing?!"

"Let me go!" She kicked and swung her fists as she tried to get back to the boy, who leaped off the ground and stumbled away from them. "He deserves everything that's coming to him!"

"She's crazy!" the boy yelled, though Armin could see the fear in his eyes.

"Miststück!" Armin barely missed being struck by one of Anna's fists as she fought his grip on her. "Say that to my face!"

"What is going on here?" A tall man came into the picture, the boy's father Armin assumed by the way he hurried over to the kid. "Are you okay, Mark?"

"That crazy bitch attacked me for no reason!" Mark cried, pointing towards Anna.

"That's a lie! You were saying lies about my mama!"

Armin felt his blood turn cold for just a moment, his eyes going wide. Oh god...

Anna looked up at her father, her ice-colored eyes brimming with unshed tears of anger. "He was telling lies about Muti. He said that she was a bad person, that she killed people. He said she was a Titan!" She blinked rapidly, her tiny hands clenched into fists. "I told him that it wasn't true, that he was telling lies, but then he called me a Titan kid and I got mad." She glared at the boy, struggling to get to him once more. "No one says bad things about my Muti!"

"It's the truth, you stupid girl," the other father growled at her, one arm wrapped protecitvely around his son. "Your mother was a traitor to humanity. She destroyed a whole city trying to escape the punishment she deserved. She killed hundreds!"

"That's not true!" Anna cried, kicking and throwing punches at the air again. "That's not true! You're all liars!"

"Control your child!" the man snapped at Armin.

"I-I'm very sorry for all the trouble we've caused you," Armin said quickly before hoisting his daughter up onto his shoulder and walking away as fast as he was able.

"Vati, stop!" The little girl pounded her fists against his back, her little legs kicking against his chest. "Stop! We have to set them straight! We have to let them know that they're lying!"

"That's enough, Anna." His voice was firm as he spoke though he felt anything but. "We're going home now."

"Papa!"

She kept kicking and screaming but he had to ignore her, he just had to. He had to get them home, away from all of those eyes that looked at him and judged her and god GOD-

"Vati..."

He finally stopped, even though they were so close to him. Anna had gone still in his arms, her little body laying limp over his shoulder. He slowly and carefully set her on her feet, unable to meet those eyes that stared up at him. What could he say to her?

"Es tut mir lied..." She was looking at the ground now, gripping her arm with one hand. "I...I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. But he kept saying bad things about Mama and I got mad..."

He couldn't look at her, not while she was so guilty and acting like it was all her fault when really it was his for not telling her everything sooner. He clenched his fists and bit his lip until he was sure he tasted blood. God, what kind of father was he?

"But I couldn't let him go one telling lies about her. Because you always tell me to never lie, that lies only hurt her people. I kept telling him that he needed to stop telling lies but then he called me a Titan kid and I just-I lost it, Vati!" She buried her face in her little hands and he felt his heart break in two. "I couldn't stand it anymore!"

"Anna..."

"And he kept saying 'you're a Titan kid!' so I hit him over and over but he wouldn't shut up so I punched him in the nose and I tackled him to the ground and I was so MAD-"

"That's enough." He held out a hand, hoping she would stop.

But of course she didn't.

"-and he started yelling at me, saying that Muti was the Female Titan and she killed people, and-and-" She started sobbing and he couldn't take it anymore.

Armin dropped to his knees and scooped her into his arms, holding her tight to his chest as she cried. He hated it, he hated it when she cried because he never had any idea what to say or do to make it better. So he just held her, trying so hard to not start crying himself.

"I'm so sorry!" she choked out, her tiny arms wrapping around him. "I'm sorry she's not here, Vati. I-I know it's my fault, and I'm sorry-"

"NEIN." His arms tightened around her, one hand reaching up to cup the back of her head. "Don't you EVER say things like that. Do you hear me, Anna? It wasn't your fault."

She sniffled and pulled away to look up at him, and the guilt in her eyes made him want to curl up in a hold and die. "Do you hate me, Vati? For taking her away?"

"Nein!" He shook his head, wiping away the tears that fell down her soft face. "Anna, I love you! And Muti loved you too. She loved you so much that she was willing to give up everything to bring you into this world. She loved you so much, Anna."

Anna hiccupped and nodded, tiny fists wiping at her eyes. "I-I'm sorry, Papa..."

"No, Anna." Armin pressed a fierce kiss to the top of his daughter's head. "I'm sorry..."

 _Annie, if only you could see her now...you would be so proud...  
_

* * *

"That little shit did what?!"

Armin winced when he heard the words leave his best friend's mouth and he considered scolding him for cursing when the children were still in the room. But he knew that it wouldn't calm Eren's fury.

"He called her a Titan kid, is what Anna said." Armin sighed and leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. "So she went and beat him up."

"Good! If she hadn't, I would have to go find the little bastard and teach him a lesson myself!" Eren huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. "No one messes with my goddaughter and gets away with it."

The blond man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, glancing over his shoulder to watch Anna and Eren's daughter Carla playing in the sitting room. His little girl had a smile on her face again which Armin was glad for, but he knew that the hurt from today wouldn't be erased so easily for her.

"People are going to start to notice much she looks like her," he murmured softly, mostly to himself.

"Yeah, well, they can get the fuck over it," Eren chimed in, letting out another huff. "It was years ago and she helped us in the end. Funny how people like to convienently forget about that."

"Not everyone is as forgiving as you, Eren." Armin looked over at his best friend with tired eyes, his shoulders going limp. "Anna was really hurt by what happened today. I should have told her about Annie sooner..." He looked down at the table in front of him, tracing the patterns in the wood with his eyes. "I feel like I've failed her as a father."

"Don't be stupid, Armin, of course you haven't failed her." He glaned up to see his best friend leaning towards him from across the table."You're a good dad. You love her and everyone can see that."

Armin just shook his head and looked back down at the table, unsure of what to say. It was true, he loved his little girl and he didn't care who around him knew about it. But part of his job as a father was to protect her and he felt like he had failed at that today. Anna may have come out on top physically, but emotionally she had ended up very damaged and that killed him.

He didn't have much time to think anymore when Mikasa came into the kitchen, heading for the door. "Where you headed?" Eren asked her, turning around in his seat so that he could look at his wife.

"I'm just going out to the garden to get some things for dinner." The dark-haired woman went over to her husband to press a gently kiss to his lips, which Eren happily returned. She looked at Armin with a warm gaze. "Will you be staying with us tonight?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so." He wanted to get home before it got dark but he knew that going back to his house wouldn't fix their problems. Maybe...if they got away... "I think it's time Anna and I got away."

The couple stared at him. "What do you mean?" Eren asked.

"I mean I think it's time we leave town for a bit." Now that he had said it the idea was starting to sound more and more appealing to him. "I could take her outside of the walls and we could just travel for a bit. We wouldn't have to worry about anyone recognizing us that way." His mind was racing as plans started to form in her brain. "I could take her to the ocean and we could just relax for a bit."

"The ocean is pretty far away, Armin," Eren protested, a frown on his lips. "It's at least a two month trip to go there."

"It's perfect," the blond man whispered, looking up at his best friends. "Anna and I can get away, start to heal without anyone telling her horrible things about her mother. I...I'll finally tell her the truth." He nodded, more to himself than anything.

Eren and Mikasa were quiet for a bit and he glanced up at them to find them looking at each other with those gazes that only they understood. It was how they spoke to each other without having to exchange any words, they had done this for as long as he could remember. For some reason the sight of them doing it now made him hold his breath.

Finally they shared a nod and looked back at him. "Okay. We'll support you." Eren gave the man a small smile. "We'll even help you find a wagon to travel with."

Armin felt himself relax and a smile made its way onto his lips. "Thank you. This means a lot to me." He stood up and made his way over to them, wrapping his arms around his best friends. "I'll write. And I promise I'll be back before you know it."

"You'd better," Mikasa told him firmly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

Eren stood up, clapping his hand on Armin's shoulder. "Take care of Anna. And don't beat around the bush anymore."

Armin nodded. "I won't."

* * *

"Vati?"

"Ja, liebling?"

"Where are we going?"

"To the ocean. We're taking a vacation."

"Why?"

"Because we need to get away for awhile."

"Oh..."

The first few days in the wagon were filled with quiet words and short conversations. For the first time since she had been born Armin found himself feeling awkward around his child and that just wasn't right.

They stopped at an inn a week into their trip, Armin deciding that they needed a proper bed instead of just sleeping in the wagon. He was just grateful that enough people had decided to venture outside the walls to set up little towns and inns like this one.

He let Anna use the bath first and he laid down on the bed as he waited for her to get done. He sighed as he covered his eyes with his arm, trying to relax into the straw-stuffed mattres. It was better than the hard wood of the wagon but the silence of the night would be exactly the same.

"Vati?"

He moved his arm and sat up to see his daughter standing in the doorway, the bottom of her nightgown nearly brushing the floor and her hair still dripping from her bath. Her ice-colored eyes were wide a she looked at him, seeming to be searching his own gaze for something.

Armin smiled and patted the space in front of him on the bed. "Bring me your brush and I'll brush out your hair for you."

Anna nodded and hurried over to their bags, fishing her brush out and going over to him. She handed the brush to him and climbed onto the bed to sit in front of him, gripping onto a pillow and hugging it to her.

He made sure to be gentle as he ran the brush through her fine hair, not wanting to pull on it and risk hurting her. He noted that it was a getting pretty long now. He would have to ask her if she wanted him to cut it for her.

She would look just like her mother with short hair...

"Vati?"

Armin realized he had stopped brushing her hair and shook his head to clear his thoughts, going back to what he was doing. "Es tut mir leid."

"Bitte." He saw her fidget around in front of him and he tensed. He knew her well enough to know what that meant. "Vati..." He heard her gulp before she slowly turned around to look up at him. "Why didn't you tell me? About Muti?"

And there it was. The question Armin knew he had been trying so hard to avoid since that day she had broken down in front of him. The question he had promised Eren and Mikasa and himself he would tell her but instead he had been avoiding him. It was why things had been so quiet and awkward between his child and him.

The one thing he wished he had a better answer for...

"Ich weiss nicht," he whispered, closing his eyes tightly for a few moments as he tried to gain his bearings. "I'm sorry, Anna, I should have told you sooner. But..." He looked down at his daughter, feeling so pitiful in the moment it made him sick. "How could I tell you when you were still so young? I just didn't want to hurt you."

The little girl reached up to cup her father's cheek, those eyes of hers filled with more pain than a child of her age should know. "It's okay, Vati. Really." She started to blink rapidly and for a heart-wrenching moment he feared that she would start to cry. But she managed to give him a weak half-hearted smile. "But from now on...you won't lie to me. Right?"

Armin nodded before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest, holding her tightly to him. "I promise, Anna. No more lies. Anything you want to know, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything."

He felt her wrap her little arms around his neck and nod against his chest, and it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

* * *

"What was Muti like?"

"She was the strongest woman I had ever known. She would always come out on top in a fight. But she was also very kind, even if she wouldn't admit it. She spent her whole life trying to make up for things she hadn't even done yet."

The first month of the trip was over before they knew it, and Armin found that talking about Annie to his daughter was healing his heart more than he had ever thought possible.

"You once told me that Muti had stars in her eyes and the wind in her hair. What did you mean by that?"

"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes one. It was the sort of beauty you only ever come across once in your life. You'll experience it one day, Anna. And it wasn't just her outside appearence that drew me in...it was also her inner strength, how hard she tried to not be the monster that she thought she was."

By the time they were close to the ocean Anna knew most everything about her mother...including all she had done as the Female Titan.

"So she really killed all of those people..."

"Yes."

"Did she ever tell you why?"

"She had a goal...and to achieve it, she felt as if she had no other choice. I know that she regretted all of it. After she came out of her crystal she spent every waking moment trying to redeem herself to humanity."

"And she really loved us?"

"Ja...she loved us more than anything in the world."

* * *

"Vati, look! Look!" Anna let go of his hand and raced towards the body of water, her little hands gripping onto her hat to keep it from flying off of her head. She laughed when the waves licked at her feet, squealing softly and kicking her feet up. "It's cold!"

Armin stuffed his hands in his pockets as he watched his little girl play in the ocean. Anna hiked up her sundress to her knees as she splashed her hands into the water, her eyes wide with wonder. He watched her wade around, looking down as she kept picking up seashells and exclaiming over them. She just looked so...happy. It made his heart swell with joy.

 _Annie...I wish you were here to see this._ He watched his daughter with a soft smile, feeling his eyes starting to well up with tears. _She's so beautiful, just like you. She reminds me more of you every day. She's been asking about you, Annie, and I told her. I told her everything about you, just like you asked me to. She loves you, Annie...she wants to be just like her Muti when she grows up._

He glanced up at the sky, watching as puffy white clouds slowly blew across the spanse of blue. _I'm finally healing, liebe. I still miss you so much and I'll never stop missing you. But...it doesn't hurt as much as it used to. I know I can go on without you._ He looked back at his daughter with warm eyes. _Because I have her. Because Anna makes me strong._

"Vati! Come on!" Anna waved at her father, a big smile on her lips. "The water feels great!"

"I'm coming!" Armin called to her, and started to make his way towards the water. But he stopped when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He coughed into his hands, wincing as it made his throat ache.

"Vati? Are you okay?"

He stared at his hand then shook his head, giving his daughter a smile as he jogged towards her. "I'm fine. Hey, what were you looking at?"

 _Everything is fine,_ he told himself as he let Anna dag him to the water to show him a big shell she had found. _It was just a little blood...everything is fine.  
_

* * *

Living to forty was pretty fortunate, especially in the world they had lived in. Armin knew that he was lucky and he did his best to never take it for granted. He had lived long enough to see his daughter grow up which in itself was a gift. He hadn't been eaten by titans in his youth and he hadn't died from any illnesses.

So when he suddenly passed out one day at his house he was understandably confused.

He woke up to Anna sobbing at his bedside and his friends giving him looks of pity. _Consumption_ , Eren diagnosed him. It made sense now that he really thought about it. He had been coughing up blood for years now, but during the last few months it had just gotten worse. He hadn't told anyone because he had been hoping that it wasn't as bad as it looked...but now he was paying the price.

"How long do I have left?" he asked Eren.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," his friend confessed to him. "We haven't figured out a way to cure consumption. I can give you some medicine to help with the pain, but that's about it. I wish you'd told me earlier, Armin..."

"That doesn't answer my question..."

"I really don't know. Consumption usually takes its victims quickly but you've survived months with it. So you could live for months more or as little as a week." He put his hand on Armin's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't suffer, okay? I'm here for you."

And he was. Eren made sure to provide the medication that would help to lessen Armin's pain. And there was pain. It seemed to get worse every day, until Anna forced him to regular bedrest. And he hated it. He hated feeling like a burden to his child and his friends even though they all assured him that he wasn't.

The pain only got worse in the next month, to a point where all he could do some days was lay in bed and try to sleep it off. Anna stayed with him all the time, trying to make him eat and drink but half the time he couldn't keep it down. He was so tired all the time that it took great effort to stay awake.

All the while, Anna...his sweet, loving Anna...stayed by her father's side. She could have been out and found a man to settle down with, but she chose instead to stay at his side and take care of him. In some moments she reminded him so much of Annie that he cried. But he couldn't have been more proud of her and how kind and compassionate she had turned out to be.

He was only able to go on for a couple more months after his diagnosis. As Anna pressed cool wet clothes to his face and tried to get him to drink water he knew he was dying. He could feel the strength leaving his bones and his will fading away. But he refused to die, not yet. Not until he knew Anna would be alright without him. After all, he was the only one she had left.

"Anna," he croaked out, reaching out a shaking hand to grasp hers. "I'm sorry...for everything I put you through."

She quickly shook her head, gripping his hand tight in hers. "Nein, Vati, you have nothing to apologize for. You've done nothing but love me and try to protect me my whole life." She leaned over to press her lips to his forehead, which made his eyes flutter shut and a soft sigh escape his mouth. "I love you, Vati."

"And I love you, Anna," he murmured, not bothering to open his eyes.

 _"Armin...Armin~"_

His eyes snapped open and his turned his head sharply, staring at the source of the voice. "Annie..."

It was impossible...yet there she was, standing not too far away from his bedside. She looked just as beautiful as he remembered, not aged since he had last seen her. There was a sort of soft white light coming off of her, and he knew instantly why she was there.

He heard Anna gasp at his other side but he didn't dare tear his eyes away from his wife. "Is...is Muti here? Vati, do you see her?"

Annie reached out to him, her fingers brushing over his hair. "She's beautiful, Armin. You raised her so well. I'm so proud of you."

He couldn't help the tears that escaped from his eyes and down his cheeks. "I missed you so much..."

"I miss you, too, mein liebe." She smiled and held out her hand to him. "But if you take my hand, we can be together again. I can make all the pain go away, Armin."

"I can't," he wheezed, pain seizing his heart from the illness and the heartache. "I can't, Annie. Anna-"

"Papa."

He turned his head slowly to stare up at his daughter.

There was that look again. The one he had seen so long ago, when she had only been eight. The one filled with suffering and understanding that someone her age shouldn't have had to have yet. She reached out to place her hand over both of his, smiling through the tears in her eyes. "It's okay, Vati. You can go with her. I know it's what you've always wanted, to be reunited with her." She leaned over to press her lips to his forehead once more, and he felt a couple of her tears hit his skin. "I'm strong. I can handle being by myself."

"Anna..." There was no stopping his tears now, his heart feeling like it was being torn into a thousand pieces. He opened his mouth to reply but could only cough weakly, his lungs and throat feeling like they were on fire.

"Come with me, Armin," Annie urged him. "I can take away all of your suffering if you do."

"You can go, Papa," Anna whispered softly, giving his hands one last squeeze. "I'll be okay. I promise."

Armin let his head roll over so that he could look at his wife once more.

Annie smiled and held out her hand to him once more. "Come with me, Armin." Her eyes were lit up, shining, full of excitement and anticipation. "Come with me to the next life."

He could only nod as he reached up to take her hand. "Okay."

Their hands touched and everything went dark...

* * *

Ninety was a good age to live to, Anna decided. She'd lived long enough to get married and have children, then get to watch her children grow up and have children of their own. And she had even lived long enough to see a couple of her great-grandchildren. She had out-lived her husband, who had passed on a couple of years before. She had out-lived all of her friends, even dear sweet Carla.

She had out-lived her father...but she had made sure that her children and their children-and their children-all knew about him, and her mother.

She was close to the end of her life, she knew this for a fact. And she wasn't bitter about it. She'd lived a long time and had many good experiences. It was her time to go and she could safely say that she didn't regret anything.

Anna hobbled throug the streets with her cane, a basket hanging from one arm as she made her rounds. She was still able to get around pretty well for her age, which she knew was a blessing. And as long as she could get around she intended on walking.

She was suddenly almost knocked off balance when a group of kids ran past her, and she had to scramble around to get a hold of her cane once more.

Suddenly a pair of small hands were on her arms, helping to get her upright again. "I-I'm so sorry, miss! Are you alright?"

"Ja, I'm fine, thank you." She looked down to thank the boy and suddenly she couldn't speak, her hear skipping a beat and her eyes going wide.

Big blue eyes stared up at her from a sweet face framed by golden hair, an innocent smile on his lips. The boy grabbed her cane and handed it to her, not noticing her shock. "Here you go...I'm sorry we knocked you over. Eren can be a little enthusiastic at times."

"Armin! Come on!"

Anna's head snapped up and she looked in the direction the voice had come from. A little girl with a large nose and sharp eyes was looking at them, her arms crossed over her chest.

She had seen that face before...it was just like her own when she was that age. Her father had always said that she looked exactly like her mother...

 _"She had stars in her eyes and the wind in her hair..._ "

"Ah, sorry, Annie!" The boy, Armin, gave Anna a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head. "I have to go. Again, I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright," she managed to get out before the boy ran over to the girl. She watched as Annie scolded Armin before taking his hand in her own, leading him away.

"Mama...Papa..." Anna felt tears fall down her face and she didn't bother trying to wipe them away, nor did she try to hide the smile that was on her face.

She knew what she had seen. Her father and mother, reborn again, able to be together once more. And she knew that she would pass on soon enough and join them when the time was right.

That was the way of the world, after all. A never ending circle of life, a carousel of souls.


End file.
